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Moving up to a 1TB SSD and OLED screen, it costs about $649.
It’s a lightweight, affordable pick, yet it’s not technically a fully-featured gaming handheld.
There are a lot of great ASUS devices in my office right now.
Turning our attention to gaming laptops, they too can sometimes be had for around $700 or less.
However, handhelds do it in a much more refined manner.
Handhelds are designed from the start to offer the most portability and comfort possible.
Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally
When it comes to portability and comfort, gaming handhelds hold an easy advantage over gaming laptops.
If you want to enjoy modern games looking their best, a gaming laptop is the recommended choice.
As for battery life, a gaming handheld will generally offer a much longer runtime than a gaming laptop.
Gaming laptops have a lot more onboard hardware to keep going, and battery life is usually quite limited.
If you’re worried about gaming for longer, away from an AC outlet, stick with a handheld.
Windows remains the number one platform for PC gaming.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)
Just about all gaming laptops run Windows, but the same can’t be said for all handhelds.
The Steam Deck, for example, runs a Linux-based SteamOS platform.
It’s smooth and streamlined for the hardware, but it can’t natively run all games and apps.
But for the best compatibility both in OS and hardware ability you should stick with a gaming laptop.
It runs Windows 11 for wider native compatibility with more games and platforms.
Gaming laptop vs. handheld: Which should you choose?
Steam Deck buttons and joystick
If you value portability and comfort, a gaming handheld is an easy recommendation.
It doesn’t matter where I am; it fits the situation.
The same goes for other handhelds.
Lenovo Legion Go with Game Pass
